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2. 3. Exekias Belly Amphora White text: p.27-29 Black text: p.17-21 4. The Exekias Belly Amphora
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Current Location:The Vatican Museum, Rome 7. Shape Exekias potted his own vases, so each one was shaped in order to complement the design he intended for it. This vase differs from the traditional Amphora shape in the following ways: The shoulder of the vase is much broader and squarer in fact the shoulder is the widest part of the body of the vase much wider than the belly 8. The neck of the vase is much wider 9. The handles are flanged (flattened) and decorated, rather than rounded and plain 10. The foot has been moulded into two layers, rather than just one 11. Dimensions Height: 61cm 12. Inscriptions
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Achilles Four AjaxThree 14. Behind Ajax there is a kalos inscription: Onetorides is beautiful 15.
Decoration: Overview An elaborate double lotus and palmette borders the girth of the belly. Exekias is unmatched in his skill in painting and composition. 16. Subject of the decoration
17. Analysing the friezes 18. Side A Achilles and Ajax
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20. This is the psychological moment: the viewer knows what is about to happen! The heroes are sitting on boxes, dressed in full armour, with the rest of their battle gear close at hand. Either the game is so engrossing that they are literally on the edge of their seats with excitement, or this is a very temporary scene.Perhaps they sat down just for a quick game? Either way, the effect is the same. 21. Achilles is the larger, dominant figure.He wears a Corinthian helmet with a horsehair crest. Note the depiction of the figures themselves: Ajax is bare-headed (his helmet is hanging from his shield behind him) 22. Exekias is careful to include detail of the heroes weapons and armour A shoulder guard decorated with a panthers head
They are even clutching two spears each! 23. Exekias gives the heroes Boeotianshields common in archaic art. Achilles shield is particularly detailed it shows a satyrs head in high relief. Ajaxs shield shows a similar scene, but hisshield shows a Gorgons head without the relief. See p. 18 in Black text for clearer pictures 24. Composition BALANCED SYMMETRICAL Scene is framed by the borders above and below The central figures form a triangle, with Achilles horse hair at the apex. The bodies and arms of the heroes form another triangle 25. The figures are composed in an inverted W shape 26. The line of the spears continue to line up with the handles, and the line of the shields also follow the line of the handles 27. The curved backs of the heroes follows the line of the vase shows how Exekias decorated his vase in sympathy with its form 28. Decorative technique
29. Realism Detail on the horses hair plume on the helmet, also on Achilles beard Exekias added white slip on Achilles corselet and greaves, and purple on the shield Cloak shows incredible detail, all incised through the black, with white and purple added to the stars, spirals and flowers on the cloak. The leather corselet bulges underneath the cloak. Extra glaze used to show Achilles curls p.19 (Black) to show detail 30. Limitations to Exekias Realism Exekias eyes are all shown in frontal aspect Muscles are shown, but there is no attempt to make them look realistic Achilles cloak is flat and two dimensional, but Exekias is trying to show the folds in the drapery 31. Side B The Return of Castor and Polydeuces
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35. Exekias creates a homely scene to illustrate the reunion of the family even when family members are mythical heroes Polydeuces Note he is bending down to greet the family dog, which jumps ecitedly Queen Leda, hand outstretched, greets Castor with a flower King Tandareus stands, hand outstretched to pat Castors horse A slave boy is also present.He carries a stool on his head, with a set of clothes for the brothers, and holds an aryballos Castor holds his horse with one hand, a spear with the other, and turns his head towards his mother 36. Exekias is again trying to make his decoration more realistic.He paints Castor behind his horse trying to create the impression of depth. Typically for the period, Exekias paints Castor mainly in profile only his head turns behind to greet his mother.This is a rigid, unrealistic pose. 37. Drapery and Realism Castor wears a chlamys, which Exekias has coloured with red slip. Queen Leda wears a peplos, which is flat and foldless Polydeuces is naked Tyndareus wears an himation Exekias has used incisions through the black slip to show the folds in the cloth of these cloaks an attempt to show realism Exekias has incised through the black to show detail on the horses mane 38. Limitations to Realism All the figures stand on the same groundline However, Exekias has placed Castor and the dog behind other figures to provide depth. 39. Composition of Side B Scene framed above and below Placing the horse in the centre, and the figures either side provides symmetry in the scene. 40. Composition of Side B There are THREE focal points. This creates the sense of depth and movement. 1 2 3